Eat, drink and be merry

If you enjoy putting on a spread for family and friends over the festive season, you’ll no doubt be planning the menu already. 

Here are some ideas for non-traditional sides you might like to accompany your choice of main fare, as well as some delicious dessert options to sit beside the plum pud.

Serves: 10

Ingredients

• 2 puff pastry sheets, thawed
• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¾ cup shredded Italian-blend cheese
• 22 thin spears asparagus, trimmed
• 14 cherry tomatoes from a medley, cut in half lengthwise
• Flaky sea salt, for garnishing

Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C. Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Spread the puff pastry sheets on the baking sheet, connecting them to make a large piece. Prick the puff pastry all over with a fork, leaving a 1-inch border unpricked. Bake for 10 minutes, then let cool for10 minutes more.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the milk, butter, eggs, garlic, salt, and black pepper. Stir in the cheese. Spread the cheese mixture over the center of the par-baked puff pastry. Arrange the asparagus in opposite directions on top of the cheese mixture. Press the tomato halves, cut sides up, between the asparagus.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese mixture sets and the crust puffs's lightly and starts to brown in spots, rotating the pan halfway through. Sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Images and text from Spectacular Spreads by Maegan Brown, photography by Kelsey Foster, published by Rock Point, RRP $24.99. 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 500g broad beans (or green beans), podded
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into small florets, stalk peeled and chopped into 8mm discs
• 1bunch of asparagus (or broccolini),cut into 2cm lengths
• 3 bundles of buckwheat soba noodles
• 100g baby English spinach leaves, washed and dried

Tahini ginger miso dressing

• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini or smooth
• peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon honey or soft brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon rice seasoning (shichimi togarashi or furikake)

• 2 teaspoons miso paste
• ½ teaspoon wasabi paste
• Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
• 1cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely grated

Rice crisps (optional)

• 4 cups (1 litre) frying oil (I like grapeseed)
• 6 rice paper rounds
• Rice seasoning, for sprinkling

To serve

• 1 ripe avocado, cut into cubes
• ¼ bunch of coriander, washed and roughly chopped
• 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
• Rice seasoning, for sprinkling (optional)

Method

Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil.

Add the broad beans and blanch until bright green and soft: 2 to 3 minutes if they’re small, 3 to 4 minutes if larger. Scoop them out and refresh under a cold tap until cool enough to touch. Double-pod the broad beans into a bowl by splitting the skin with your fingernail and popping out the bright green flesh. 

Bring the water back to the boil and blanch the broccoli for 3 to 4 minutes, until vibrant green. Scoop out, refresh under a cold tap, add to the broad beans and set aside. Bring the water back to the boil and blanch the asparagus for 2 to 3minutes, until bright green. Scoop out and set this aside with the broccoli. 

Bring the blanching water to the boil again. Add the buckwheat noodles, wait until they soften enough to submerge, then cook for1 minute less than suggested by the packet instructions. Drain the noodles and dunk into iced water to stop them cooking. 

Combine the dressing ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Plonk the noodles into the dressing and stir to coat. These can be further refrigerated if you want them cold-cold, but I quite like them at room temperature. 

If you are making the rice crisps, heat the frying oil to 200°C in a medium-sized pan—this should take around 5 minute on medium–low heat. The oil should be shimmering, and if you drop a little of the paper into the oil, it should frizz up instantly. 

Meanwhile, stack three rice paper sheets together, cut them in half, then in half again, and then cut each one in half again, until you have what look like pizza slices of rice paper. 

Briefly deep-fry in batches of five or six, fishing them out with tongs or a slotted spoon once they puff up and turn white, which will happen almost instantly. Drain on paper towel and sprinkle liberally with rice seasoning. These are best eaten right away, as they start to soften if left out. Note: If the thought of deep-frying the rice crisps is overwhelming, try microwaving them for 1 to 1½ minutes until crisp.

When ready to serve, add the blanched vegetables and baby spinach leaves to the dressed noodles, tossing everything together until well coated. Scatter the avocado, coriander, and spring onion on top and sprinkle with extra rice seasoning. Serve with the rice crisps on the side, if using.

Edited extract from The Joy of Better Cooking by Alice Zaslavsky, photography by Ben Dearnley, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $49.99

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 5 eggplants
• Sea salt flakes and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chilli oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

To serve

• 2/3 cup (185g) garlicky whipped tahini
• 2 tablespoons za’atar
• 1/3 cup (55g) pitted kalamata olives,roughly chopped
• 1 cup (175g) crispy roast chickpeas
• Handful dill sprigs, roughly chopped
• Handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

Method

Preheat a barbecue to high and cook the eggplants whole for 15 minutes, turning throughout, until the skins are charred and the eggplants are soft. Alternatively, working in batches, place the whole eggplants over an open gas cooker flame and cook for 10minutes, turning throughout, until soft. You can also bake them at 230°C for 20 to 25minutes until soft (though you won’t get the same smoky flavour). 

Place the cooked eggplants on a wire rack set over a plate or tray and allow them to drain and cool for a few minutes, then carefully peel off the burnt skin, leaving the eggplants whole and the tops intact, if possible. Carefully transfer them to a serving platter, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with the olive oil, chilli oil, lemon juice, and pomegranate molasses.

To serve, spoon the garlicky whipped tahini(recipe below) over the eggplants and sprinkle with za’atar. Top with the olives, crispy roast chickpeas (recipe below), and herbs, and dig in.

Garlicky whipped tahini

This is my everything sauce—I literally spoon it over everything from fish to a tray of roast veggies. If your sauce is too runny, just add some more tahini. If you make this by hand, your tahini might look like it has split or it may clump together, but that just means it needs more water and whisking.

• Makes 1¼ cups (350g)
• ½ cup (135g) hulled tahini
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cloves garlic, finely crushed
• Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper 

Place all the ingredients in a blender withb²/³ cup (170ml) water and blend into a smooth paste. Adjust the water and lemon juice until you have a silky consistency. Alternatively, combine the ingredients in a bowl with a whisk or fork, whisking in the water slowly until smooth and combined.

Transfer to an airtight container or jar and store in the fridge for up to 1 week. The sauce thickens overnight, but you can thin it out with lemon juice, water and seasoning.

Crispy roast chickpeas

These chickpeas add so much crunch to salads, thick soups or seafood. They’re also a terrific snack on their own. You can mix up the flavours—curry powder, miso, maple syrup—anything that offers a smack of deliciousness. Drying the chickpeas well beforehand is paramount.

• Makes 2 cups (350g)
• 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed, drained and dried overnight
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika
• Sea salt flakes and ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 210°C and line a baking tray with baking paper. Ensure the chickpeas have been dried very well in the fridge overnight, uncovered, on paper towel. Toss the dried chickpeas with the olive oil, spices and a little salt and pepper until well coated. Scatter over the baking tray and roast for 25 to 30 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Edited extract from More Fish, More Veg by Tom Walton, photography by Rob Palmer, published by Murdoch Books, RRP $39.99.

Serves: 8

Ingredients

Farro crust

• 240g (1½ cups) farro flour
• 60g (½ cup) powdered (icing) sugar
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 150g (10 tablespoons) butter, cut into 1cm cubes
• 1 egg

Ricotta filling

• 450g (2 cups) fresh ricotta, well-drained
• 2 eggs
• 85g (¼ cup) honey
• 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

Method
To make the crust, pulse together the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the cubes of butter and pulse until crumbly. Add the egg and continue to pulse until the dough starts to clump together. Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface and gently shape into a smooth ball, then wrap it and rest in the fridge for 1 hour (or up to 3 days if you are planning ahead).

Preheat the oven to190°C. Butter a 28cm by 20cm rectangular or 23cm round tart pan with a removable base. 

Roll out the dough on a well-floured worksurface until slightly larger than your prepared pan. Transfer the pastry to the pan and gently press to fit, then trim the edges to neaten. Use a fork to poke a few holes in the crust and bake for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, to make the filling, mix together all the ingredients in a large bowl until smooth and well combined.

Remove the crust from the oven and pour in the filling. Return the tart to the oven and bake for another 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the ricotta filling is set like a custard. 

Allow the tart to cool to room temperature then gently remove it from the pan, using a knife to loosen the sides where needed. Finely slice the figs and layer them on top, then serve.

Edited extract from The Miller’s Daughter by Emma Zimmerman published by Hardie Grant Books, RRP $40. 

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